County approves long-awaited CAD system

September 27, 2013

Jefferson County became the 55th county in the state to approve negotiations for a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system as well as a Records Management System to replace an antiquated system. The vote, unanimous, came after a presentation given by Director of Communications Jeff Polczynski and Thomas Reilly, consultant from Accurate Systems.

The two gentlemen provided details of the bid process that was undertaken to select a company for services. The process involved seeking a system to update the Emergency Communications Center and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office with an automated incident/unit management system integrated with records solutions.

A committee of 11 members from the technology and police and rescue fields evaluated all bids and selected two of the five received to present to the county. With those selections, the committee recommended securing Spillman to receive the contract.

The total cost of the contract with Spillman to provide the CAD system and records management is just under $800,000, an amount that had been budgeted within the county's Capital Outlay account.

Commissioner Dale Manuel made the motion to negotiate and receive a final contract from Spillman. The ultimate vote on the motion received a round of applause from audience members including many in the law enforcement and rescue services.

The system will allow for more efficient work by dispatchers, Polczynski said. It will also offer real-time status alerts so dispatchers know who and where officers and emergency equipment are dispatched.

The ultimate goal is providing increased response time, something the commissioners are looking forward to. Accurate mapping will aid in that more efficient response time and allow for dispatch of multiple agencies.

Speaking in favor of the proposal was Sheriff Peter Dougherty who stressed the benefit such a system will bring to his force and the county as a whole. Echoing those sentiments were Charles Town Police Chief Chris Kutcher and Shepherdstown Chief David Ransom. Several fire chiefs also spoke in favor of the system as did Emergency Services Director Doug Pittinger.

Commissioner Jane Tabb, who seconded the motion to approve, told committee members and Polczynski in particular , "I know it's been a long, long road. Thank you for your work. The community will be much better served with this system."

Commissioner Walt Pellish agreed saying he fully supported the work done by Polczynski and the committee. "You did a hell of a job on this," he said.